The Choices of Haruhi Suzumiya
by TheThing12
Summary: It has been almost a year since Kyon was dragged into the unforgiving grasp that is Haruhi Suzumiya. A god-like being who has the ability to subconsciously alter reality as she sees fit. As things had finally started to calm down after the Winter Vacation, a new piece has come into play. How will Kyon deal with the problem this time?
1. Chapter 1

**The Choices of Haruhi Suzumiya**

Today wasn't really any different from any day. In fact, things had finally started to settle in the SOS Brigade. It wasn't long after we came back from the Winter Vacation that Koizumi planned for us. And I mean the actual vacation part, not the bizarre time-disorted mansion with the fake Asahina that I will never be able to forget about.

Anyways, I was trudging up the hill to get to North High, letting out a deep sigh, hopefully today would remain as peaceful as the others so far.

"Yo!"

That was Taniguchi, he came up next to me with a stupid smile on his face.

"So, Kyon, I met this really awesome girl yesterday..."

Taniguchi blabbered off about nonsense I didn't really care about as I stared forward, occasionally answering with nods and the occasional heartless "yeah".

Taniguchi didn't seem to notice or care, however. And I was fine with that.  
>"...Anyways, she kind of reminded me of Asakura."<p>

That snapped me back to reality.

"Asakura moved to Canada." I lied. We all know what really happened to the Monster known as Ryoko Asakura, she tried to kill me and Nagato killed her – Does turning someone into particles of dust count as killing? – and inevitably saved me from probable death.

"Well yeah, I know, but you don't see many girls like her is the thing! And this one was definitely an A+!-"

And suddenly, I stopped caring again.

Me and Taniguchi reached the top of the hill and made our way to class, Kunikada met us at the school entrance, and after a bit of small talk, we made our ways down the hallways and into the boring Class 1-5. Okabe was drinking his morning coffee, per usual, and Haruhi simply sat with her arms crossed, staring forward like she was some kind of conscious statue who was forever cursed to look in the same direction.

"Hey." I said as I made my way to the desk that was inconveniently located right in front of hers.

"Oh, hey." She said with a voice so blank it would leave Nagato jealous.

We engaged in small talk – why does that give me a sense of deja vu? – and waited until the First Period bell rang. Class was uneventful as I sat through today's lectures, trying my very hardest not to fall asleep.

After many boring lectures, class eventually ended. I grabbed my backpack and made my way to the former Literary Club Room. Haruhi had left me with the vague "I have something to do! I'll be at the Brigade Headquarters later!" and sprinted out of the room like Usain Bolt after drinking a liter of coffee.

I soon found myself in front of the cursed room and unconsciously knocked. If I opened the door right then and there, my eyes could very well be greeted with a sight that's worth saving for the rest of my life... But, being the nice guy that I was, I decided to knock just to make sure that Asahina was already finished getting dressed.

"Come in..." A soft voice spoke out and I opened the door.

I looked around the Brigade Room, I saw the chestnut haired beauty dressed in her lovely maid outfit as she happily started brewing tea. In the other corner of the room, Miss Anti-Social was reading a hardcover book. It looked thicker than one of those dictionaries you find at the public library.

I made my way over to the desk at the end of the room with the small cone marked "Chief" and casually turned on the Computer. The OS booted up as the logo flashed across the screen I silently waited as the Log In info appeared. At that moment, the wonderful Asahina had put a steaming cup of tea next to me. I graciously picked it up slowly sipped on the holy taste that heaven itself would have trouble matching.

"Do you like it? It's a new brew I'm trying!"

Anything Asahina makes I'll enjoy. That's just a fact of life. I gave her a simple answer followed up by a slight smile and she looked as joyous as an angel who just heard a bell and got it's wings.

Asahina then set a cup tea down next to Nagato, who seemed to completely ignore it as she stared at her book.

You could at least say Thank you.

Anyways, so I logged onto the Computer and opened the SOS Brigade Website, it had still barely gained any views – and I assume all of them were from the Computer Society or Haruhi – but, nevertheless, I decided to give it a quick update of putting random stuff we did on there. At least it would make the Computer Society happy knowing that we don't completely ignore it.

Around that time, the door opened and another Brigade Member walked through it.

"Sorry I'm late."

I didn't even need to look up to know who that is. Nevertheless, I peered my eyes over the computer screen and looked at the only other male Brigade member as he showed off his fake smile.

I kinda felt like I wanted to punch him. Though, that was a usual feeling.

"Where's Suzumiya?" Koizumi asked as he placed his bag on the large table in the center of the room. Asahina quickly brought a cup of tea over to him and he gave her a smile. "Thank you."

"Haruhi is doing something." I replied. "Didn't really tell me what it was."

"Ah, I see."

No you don't.

"Well, in that case, you want to play a game of Othello?"

It wouldn't hurt. I closed the Browser but left the Computer on because Haruhi was probably going to use it to browse the Internet or something later, anyways.

Koizumi engaged in small talk as white and black soon started the ultimate battle of dominance over the board. Though, per usual tradition, my black easily took over the board and beat Koizumi's white.

Koizumi simply shrugged. "Good job."

Honestly, do you even try anymore?

At that moment, the door was thrown open as the Potential for Evolution/Time Warp/God/Whatever opened the door.

"I'M BACK!" Haruhi waved as she came in.

"Good afternoon, Suzumiya." Koizumi said, his fake smile being even more prominent.

"Ah! Tea!" Asahina perked up as she scurried over to the teapot and grabbed the cup labeled "Haruhi" on it.

Nagato simply remained silent as she continued to watch her book.

I decided to use the time wisely to flip Koizumi's last few whites and claimed victory. The smiling idiot simply shrugged.

"You guys are gonna love this!" Haruhi so rudely interrupted.

Doubt it.

"I found us a new Brigade Member!"

…What?

"I decided that the Brigade needs to expand! We can't do anything if there are only five of us! It's imbalanced!"

What about all those "Junior Brigade Members" you made? You know, like Taniguchi, Kunikada, Tsuruya, everyone in the Computer Society, and my Sister. I decided to bring my thoughts up.

"Doesn't matter!" Haruhi replied.

If one of our Junior Members were here – the ones that actually like the role – it would break their hearts. But, the cruel dictator that is Haruhi Suzumiya doesn't seem to care all that much.

"When did you decide this?" I asked.

"I decided a long time ago that he would be in the SOS Brigade! I just haven't acted on it until now!"

I somewhat felt bad for the poor Student. He would be dragged into the strangest "club" in school and his reputation would probably be shattered. But, if Haruhi says it is so, then it must be so.

"If I may, Suzumiya. Why did you wait so long?" That was clearly Koizumi.

"Because if I brought him in too soon, everything would be ruined!"

And what is this 'everything' you speak up? I'm actually curious to know.

Asahina had given Haruhi her tea, and Haruhi grabbed it without a single thank you and walked over to the desk marked "Chief" with a cone.

Poor Asahina... She put so much love into her tea and the mean ol' Haruhi just took it without a word like an evil Monarch who took the riches of the land without thinking about how his people might feel about it.

Alas, that was the problem known as Haruhi Suzumiya.

"So, Kyon!"

I jumped a bit after she called out my nickname.

"What's with you? I have no plans of torturing you just yet! I just want you to find out more about the new guy!"

Well... I guess that's not too much trou-... What did she mean by 'yet'?

"And who is this 'new guy' suppose to be, exactly?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Actually, no. It's not. Even Sherlock Holmes would have trouble figuring out what you meant.

"The new guy is clearly going to be..." Haruhi pulled a crumbled up piece of paper out of her skirt pocket and worked to straighten it out before shoving it into my face.

"HIM!" She shouted.

First of all, how did you get that photo? Did you stalk him and take it before he could notice you or did you just scavenge through the school records for one? Both sounded equally wrong.

I took the Photo from her hand and tried to make out the features... But it was kind of hard considering all the crease lines that Haruhi had made by balling it up into a big mess. It felt like I was trying to look one of those messed up mirrors you find at a Fun House.

I took a look at the photo, a blonde haired guy in the standard North High Uniform was just walking by, talking to a another guy. Probably a Friend.

I'll admit, he looked a lot nicer than Koizumi. But if he made a move on Nagato or Mikuru... Well, our friendship might not last too much longer.

"Who is he, exactly?"

"Doesn't matter!"

Er... Yes it does.

"Just look for him! We have to recruit him!"

She acted like she was in charge of a Nuclear Warhead and couldn't wait to send it out against the opposing country.

She soon kicked me out of the Brigade Room, and locked the door, giving me the message "Don't come back without him!" before shooing me away.

I, unfortunately, complied as I wandered the hallways. I began to ponder the fact that this guy might not even participate in after-school activities. And if he did, how the hell was I supposed to know what club he was in? Haruhi gave me no information whatsoever.

I let out a signature – can I even call it signature? – sigh as I continued to pace through the empty hallways. It somewhat reminded me of Closed Space, without all the grayness and absolute silence.

As I turned a corner, a figure stood at the end of the hall. Okay, that was just creepy.

If our town had a Jack The Ripper, that'd definitely be him.

He looked over at me, a smile over his face. I noticed one key thing, blonde hair.

You know what? I don't think he's normal. Then again, who is when it comes to Haruhi?

I cautiously approached like how a Lion would approach it's prey, and gave him a half-hearted smile followed with a small wave.

"Hello!" He said. "How may I help you?"

"Well..."

How do I describe this? Do I say "Hey! Want to join North High's strangest Club? We're not even approved by the Student Council!" or what? I can't just tell him about the whole supernatural thing going on.

Of course, if Haruhi wants him in the Brigade, I can't rule him out as being normal... God, I sound like Koizumi.

"Um... You see... I have this Friend, and she thinks you're really neat. So she wants to know if you'd be interested in joining a club..."

I put absolutely no love into those words. Heck, I didn't even think it would work. Not in the slightest. Of course, he simply watched me with careful green eyes.

"You want me to join a Club without even introducing yourself?"

Is it just me, or was he amused by this? He looked like a Magician who had just pulled off the greatest trick the world has ever known.

I introduced myself to him, even including the fact that most people call me "Kyon".

"Kyon, huh?" He said as he twirled a pencil in his fingers.

Hey, I have a real name too, you know.

"My name is Ken Takeshi."

Ah, that name sounded familiar. I remember skimming over it when I was reading through the Grade Averages. He was a B+ Student, if I remember right. Not that I was trying to remember.

"So... About the Club..."

"What's it about?"

God dammit... He hit my weak point. Now I actually had to give him the half-assed definition Haruhi uses.

I sighed.

"To find Aliens, Time Travelers, Sliders, and Espers... And have fun with them."

If he bolted right now, I wouldn't blame him.

Instead, he just continued with his amused expression.

"Sounds fun."

...You're kidding.

"When can I meet said Leader of this Club?"

Well, if he was abnormal, he was damn good at hiding it.

"You can meet her right now. Come on, I'll show you."

You poor lost soul. You have no idea what you just got yourself into.

Nevertheless, I showed him the way to the Old Building and near the Room where hell has a habit of breaking loose on a weekly basis.

"So... This is it, huh?"

He seemed to frown as he spoke. Maybe he wasn't as enthusiastic as I thought. If that's the case, he still has time to run.

My staring didn't seem to get the message through, though. He simply returned to an easy look and gestured for me to open the door.

I slowly slid open the door and looked around the room.

Koizumi and Asahina were playing a game of Othello, Nagato was still reading the same book as before, and Haruhi was simply sitting behind the Computer with a bored look on her face.

I made my presence known by giving a fake cough and the other Brigade Members all turned towards me in a unison. Kind of like something you'd see out of a badly done horror movie.

"Well?" Haruhi blatantly asked. "Did you find him?"

I stepped out of the way as the blonde Takeshi stepped into the room. First, he eyes Koizumi, then Asahina, and then Nagato before finally shifting his eyes to Haruhi.

"Hmm..." Is all I heard from him.

The reaction of the other members is what freaked me out, though. Koizumi's fake smile receded for a moment as he looked at the new guy.

Asahina cutely jumped in her chair like a Hamster who had just saw a Human for the first time.

Nagato even looked up from her book – which was incredibly rare, by the way – and I could see her mouth turn downwards my a single millimeter.

Crap, he wasn't normal, was he?

"Good job, Kyon!" Haruhi said.

She quickly opened the drawer of her large desk and pulled out an orange piece of cloth. She grabbed a magic marker and quickly wrote the word "Recruiter" on it before running across the room at inhuman speeds and handing it to me.

"There you go! Your first armband!"

...Was Haruhi actually showing appreciation towards me for once? The World must have gone out of whack while I wasn't looking.

"Hi! I'm the Brigade Chief, Haruhi Suzumiya!" She said as she started walking around Takeshi with the brightest smile on her face.

I glanced at Koizumi and his smile returned to Koizumi. He gave me a shrug and I quickly went back to watching Haruhi.

"These are the other Brigade Members! #1, #2, #3, and #4!"

You could at least refer to us by name, you know. I recalled her doing something similar with Koizumi's entrance.

"Uh... Hello. My name is Ken Takeshi... I guess I'm the new Brigade Member."

A fair response. I can't blame him for being nervous, if I was in his position, I would've turned around and walked away immediately. Kudos for standing your ground.

"Well, Takeshi! I will be the first to welcome you into the SOS Brigade!"

"Tell me, what does SOS stand for, exactly?"

"/S/aving the World by /O/verloading it with Fun /S/uzumiya Haruhi Brigade!"

"Uh..."

Another fair response from Takeshi.

"Well?" Haruhi didn't even give him time to think. "What do you think?"

"I think that... I think that it's going to be a lot of fun! I look forward to working with you guys!"

That's a sudden change of attitude... Incidentally, the other Brigade Members seemed to go back to normal as they each went back to doing their individual activities.

We sat around and talked for awhile. Takeshi played Koizumi in a game of Othello. They seemed to be at even odds as they continuously overthrew each other.

We engaged in small talk as we learned a bit about Takeshi. Like his Homeroom number and a bit about himself. Asahina had to put his tea into a Paper Cup, since we hadn't bought him a Teacup yet.

As the day went by, Haruhi eventually dismissed us and I picked up my backpack and began to walk out.

Koizumi walked next to me and whispered into my ear.

"Be careful." Was all he said, then walked away as if he was a secret agent who just gave valuable information but couldn't act publicly about it.

Well, crap.

...

Later that evening, I was struggling with Shamisen to file down his claws.

"Stupid Cat! Just let me do this!"

He responded by scratching me in the cheek and running off.

You know, if Shamisen could still talk, this wouldn't be a problem. I miss those days.

I grabbed him again and held him down by wrapping my arm around his stomach and began filing.

He screamed a hissed but I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of victory.

When I got down to Shamisen's last claw, I heard a knock on my room door.

That distracted me long enough for Shamisen to squirm loose and hide under my bed. I sighed as I walked over to open the door.

"Kyon-kun!"

My Sister was standing at the door.

"What do you want?"

"There's some guy at the door for you!"

Really? Who could it be? If it was Koizumi, Taniguchi, or Kunikada, my Sister would recognize them. And it couldn't be Nakagawa, because he didn't have a reason to come talk to me again.

"Alright, give me a second."

I shot Shamisen a "I'll be back" look as he poked his head out from under the bed and I went to check on my mysterious visitor.

The front door was already open, I guess my Sister never learned that you should keep the door shut when a stranger comes by.

Luckily for her, the person standing there probably wouldn't have busted in.

Unluckily for me, that person was Takeshi.

"Hey, Kyon. Do you have a minute?"

"How did you find my Address?"

"Oh... I asked Koizumi. He was happy to tell me!"

Dammit, Koizumi. Don't give out my private information! That's Haruhi's job!

"Alright, what is it?" I asked as I stepped outside and closed the door behind me.

"It's, uh... Kinda complicated. We'll need to go somewhere private."

...I already knew where this was going. It happened to me three times before.

"One second."

I went back inside and told my Parents that I was heading out for a bit. They didn't seem to care, probably because I'm always out with the Haruhi's Group of Weirdos every weekend.

I came back outside and Takeshi gave me a slight smile as he started walking.

"Come on, I know a good spot."

Takeshi stayed silent as he walked. Which gave me time to wonder about who exactly Takeshi was.

First things that came to mind, Time Traveler, Esper, and Alien Interface. Though, none of those seemed likely. Haruhi wouldn't have a reason to recruit another Time Traveler and Esper, and an Alien Interface would have a higher grade than a B+.

Well... There was always another option. Slider.

That gave me a shiver down my spine. Haruhi had always discussed wanting to find a Slider. It seemed like the most likely scenario.

But why show up so late? Why would a Slider-type Faction take so long to contact me?

I remembered Haruhi saying something along the lines of "I had to do it at the right time!"

So, would that mean that she just recently created Sliders? Or was it purely coincidence that one would show up around this time?

Still, it wasn't an excuse to leave me in the dark. If Takeshi was a Slider – which he probably was – I would be in a world of trouble. I wasn't exactly fond of the idea that I would go to another Dimension.

I decided not to say anything to Takeshi. For all I know, he could be something else. Maybe a Faun or a Nymph.

But, his legs looked normal and he didn't seem to have the same type of charm a Nymph would have.

I immediately crossed those ideas out of my head.

"We're here."

I looked up as I saw nothing but forest all around... When did we get here? Was I that deep in thought?

"Koizumi told me that you're pretty smart. Tell me, Kyon... Do you know who I am?"

I decided to feign ignorance.

"Ken Takeshi."

He seemed to find that amusing as he let out a sly chuckle.

"Playing dumb, huh?"

He figured that out quick. Who was he? Cole Phelps?

"You got me."

I said, raising my palms up in a surrender.

"Well, I guess I'll tell you anyways."

Wait for it...

"I'm a being created by Suzumiya to be able to cross through the rifts of dimensions. Or... You may be more familiar with the term Slider."

Called it.

"So, I guess you've come to tell me about what Haruhi is and show me some Alternate Dimension?"

"That's exactly right! I'm sure you've heard what the other Factions think Suzumiya is and how she got her powers."

"Something about Autoevolution, Time Warps, and Creator of the Universe."

I recalled what each individual person had told me in all of their reveal conversations.

"Another spot-on for Kyon!"

Please... Please don't start acting like Taniguchi. One of him is enough.

"Well, I guess you're interested in hearing my Faction's opinion, then."

Not really, but shoot.

"We believe that Suzumiya is the link between all Dimensions. How do I describe this? You know how you may find a bunch of computers in a building, but all are linked to the same router? Suzumiya is the router, while the dimensions are Computers, per say."

"See, Suzumiya has the power to reflect from other Dimensions and create things that are in those Dimensions, but not hers. Therefore, bringing them into this dimension."

"Also, it seems whenever Suzumiya makes a decision, she has a tendency of regretting that she didn't choose the other option, opening up another Dimension where she made that choice."

"Wait... So Haruhi can make Dimensions?"

"Yes, it appears so. Think of it like Pascal's Triangle."

Yay, another Math term I'm unfamiliar with.

Takeshi simply grinned as got down on his knees and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

Did you plan this ahead of time?

"Look at this." He said, and I knelt down next to him.

Takeshi drew a '1' at the top of the paper.

"This represents the primary dimension which Suzumiya is located in."

He then drew two ones under it. It looked something like:

1  
>1 1<p>

"Those represent the choices Suzumiya has to make. When Suzumiya is in front of a hard decision, one of these choices will split off into a different dimension. Inevitably, those dimensions will end up leading to the Suzumiya of that dimension having to make a tough choice. Making it so that another dimension splits off and the other dimension is slowly absorbed into the first one."

He then drew something like:

1  
>1 1<br>1 2 1

"That two represents the dimensions coming together, while the ones split off into the two choices she had to make before. Eventually, the two dimension will end up coming together and splitting again leading to even more complications."

1  
>1 1<br>1 2 1  
>1 4 4 1<p>

"Hang on... Now I'm getting confused." I decided to finally voice my thoughts.

"Those fours represent the two other decisions eventually coming together while the main dimension has to split off again to compensate."

"This can go on for a seemingly endless time, until all the possible decisions are solved and they come together to make the '1' again."

"And what do Sliders have to do with this situation?"

"We have to keep these dimensions stable. If something were to go wrong inside one of the off-hand dimensions, it would end up crashing into the main one, causing a rupture in all of time-space."

"Basically, we just make sure that the dimensions absorb together without consequence. So we maintain these dimensions to make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Am I in one of these alternate dimensions?"

"I can assure you that you are the main Kyon."

"Main?"

"Parts of your consciousness split off into these dimensions. It's not necessarily like making a copy of you, you're still the same guy. Just parts of you are spread about."

"And what if these parts get spread too thin?"

"Then we have to make sure everything comes together quickly before everyone ends up with migraines until you eventually lose awareness of who you are."

"Everyone is affected by this?"

"No, just the people Suzumiya is close to. Everyone else is just a copy."

"I see."

That's just dandy. So Haruhi has the ability to split me into a hundred little Kyons? I imagined a bunch of little Kyons running around in alternate dimensions, all being dragged around by little Haruhis.

"I assume you need time to wrap your head around this, right? I was going to show you how my work is done, but I guess it will have to wait."

Well, at least he has compassion.

"Anyways, that's all I really had to tell you. The next time Haruhi is faced with a hard decision, I'll be sure to show you."

I wasn't really looking forward to seeing the Multiverse, but I guess I didn't really have any choice in the matter.

Oh, Haruhi. Why must you always make things complicated?


	2. Chapter 2

Takeshi had offered to walk me back to my house, but I declined.

Now that I think back on it, that was a really really bad decision.

Fact is, I zoned out while we were walking into the Forest. So I had no idea how to get out. I looked around around for a Path, but there was only a small dirt one that had all sorts of forks to get me even more confused.

I eventually ran into some Forest Ranger who was patrolling... or something like that. I'm not exactly familiar with what they do.

Anyways, he seemed to think I was some random teenager causing trouble and I had to suffer the mental pain of trying to come up with some believable excuse for why I was out here.

Needless to say, he didn't believe me. I ended up having to stay at some Ranger Station for a few hours while the Ranger called my Parents and I was picked up.

Wasn't exactly the greatest aftermath to a conversation about Dimensions.

I spent the rest of my weekend lounging around.

At least... That's what I wanted to say.

Haruhi called me up Sunday Morning, waking me up from my peaceful slumber.

And, as if she was some kind of Military Commander, demanded that I wake up and meet the SOS Brigade at the Train Station.

And so went my plans of doing nothing were put in my brain's recycling bin and soon emptied out.

I got dressed into some casual wear I found lying around and soon found myself peddling on my bike as I went to the Train Station.

I put my Bike on a random rail and walked up towards the station.

"Late! Penalty!" Haruhi's voice cried out like a Chinese Emperor who had decided it was time to build the Great Wall and was disciplining the workers.

I sighed as we went over to the local Cafe.

There goes another wallet full of yen.

We all enjoyed a nice brunch that, inevitably, came out of my allowance. Seriously, why can't someone else cut me some slack and come a bit later?

After we were done eating, Haruhi grabbed her paper cup and a handful of toothpicks as she marked the ends of three with black marker.

"Alright! There's six of us now, so we have to split 3-on-3!"

I kinda figured that.

"Takeshi, since you're new, you'll draw first!"

Haruhi shoved the paper cup into Takeshi's face, who simply stared with a slightly confused look on his face.

Nevertheless, he took a toothpick out. Marked.

"Hmm... Alright, Koizumi!" Haruhi said as Koizumi picked his out. Another marked.

"And now, Kyon!"

I was already starting to see where this was going. I reached into the cup and pulled out a toothpick.

Marked.

Totally called that.

"Ugh..." Haruhi said as she stared at the three unmarked toothpicks. "I... I guess that's fair! We can have a Guy Team and a Girl Team!"

Something told me that Haruhi wanted to be put on a team with Takeshi, probably because he was new or something. I decided to remain silent, though.

Or maybe she wanted to go with Me or Koizumi?

I guess that would be fair. She's only really went with me once before. As for Koizumi... Well, who wouldn't want to bring the Yes-Man?

As we exited the Cafe, we split into two teams.

The All-Boys Team consisting of, Newbie, Mr. Smiles, and Me, split off to the right.

Meanwhile, the All-Girls team, consisting of The SOS Brigade Angel, Bookworm, and Annoying, split off to the left.

It almost felt like Guys and Girls were in a War and we just came off from Peaceful ground.

Anyways, once Haruhi was out of sight, Koizumi looked over at me and offered a smile.

"So, Kyon, I guess you have questions, huh?"

"I do, but not towards you."

He simply chuckled at that comment.

"I just thought you'd like input from both sides. No doubt Takeshi has told you about his Slider abilities."

"I did."

Crap, do I have to go through another long and boring conversation involving Me and Haruhi? If so, is it too late to switch teams? At least running around with Haruhi doesn't get me stuck in complicated plots.

Well... That's not entirely true. But you know what I mean!

"I see..." Koizumi said, interrupting my important monologuing. "Well then, I guess we should start with this. The Slider Faction is... Rather complicated."

Koizumi's fake smile disappeared as he started taking a more serious tone.

"See, they were originally a sub-group in The Agency."

"Really? What happened?" I replied.

Takeshi decided to take that one.

"The Sliders and Espers couldn't agree on Haruhi's origins. While they think of her as an Omnipotent Deity, we simply see her as something of a Multiversal Link."

Right, Haruhi is the Master of all Wormholes. We went over this already.

"And because of that..." Koizumi stepped in. "The two Factions broke apart. The Sliders formed their own group and decided to keep communication with the other three factions to a minimum."

"So... Did the Sliders get their powers the same way as Espers?"

"That wouldn't be incorrect. Except... It's a bit more complicated than that. Takeshi?"

As if he was some sort of Actor who was being called onto stage to make his cue, Takeshi walked up next to me.

"A lot like Espers, we suddenly got all our knowledge of our powers. Haruhi had completely changed us... And we were no longer in our own world."  
>I imagined a group of people waking up in some haunted house with no idea as to why they were there or how they got in.<p>

"We woke up in a sort of 'limbo' between dimensions. We could see the entire Multiverse. And for some reason, we knew exactly what it was. We knew how to manipulate these Dimensions. I'll be the first to admit, we were terrified. Once we managed to get the hang on 'sliding' between dimensions, we were able to return to the original one."

"At that point," Koizumi started speaking. "The Agency had learned about them. We made contact, and we both agreed it was in our best interest to stick together."

"But then you guys had a falling out." I put in my input.

"That's correct. Because of controversy, the Sliders had demanded that they split off into their own Faction and separate from the Agency."

"So, kind of like the United States split off from Great Britain?"

"Something like that. Just with less bloodshed. They made their "Declaration of Independence" very clear. The Agency agreed to let them split off. But, because of this, tensions between the two factions are high."

Great, now we just have to wait for their version of The War of 1812.

"So, what happened next?"

"We had got the other two Factions to agree to a meeting about the Sliders. With Nagato, Asahina, and I as representatives for our own Factions, we worked out how to go about where we would put the Sliders in all of this."

Well, I can't say I'm surprised... But, Asahina in a political position? As amazing as she is, I can't see that working out.

"So, why keep me out of this?"

Before I tell you Koizumi's answer, props to Takeshi for managing to stay silent for so long.

"Well, the original plan was to get a Slider into the SOS Brigade and inform you immediately. But, Asahina and I couldn't agree. We had suggested that you were going through enough stress as it was and we couldn't rush to things."

Ah... Asahina, you're ever so kind! Always considering how I may feel about things! ...Oh, and, thanks Koizumi... Yeah...

"Therefore, we had all agreed to keep the Sliders out of it for as long as possible."

You know, now I'm kind of curious, where are these meetings held anyways? I imagined Nagato, Asahina, and Koizumi dressed up in Suits and Ties as they sat in the United Nations HQ discussing how to solve every problem involving Haruhi.

"But..." Takeshi interrupted this time. "Things took an odd twist when you approached me."

You mean a couple days ago when you looked like Jack The Ripper roaming the School Hallways? Yep, I remember.

"I wasn't expecting the SOS Brigade to make any contact with us. Especially towards a lower rank member like myself."

Why is it that every member of the SOS Brigade –excluding myself and Haruhi of course– has had some sort of lesser status in their Factions? Does Haruhi just have a thing for underdogs or something?

"Ever since then, we've been in a state of slight panic. We didn't know how Haruhi dragging a Slider in would work out."

Can't blame them. If one of my subordinates was dragged off by a girl with mystical powers and then forced into her club, I'd be freaked out as well.

"That's why we have to take extra precautions." Koizumi stepped in. "Sorry about keeping you in the dark for all this time, but like I said befo-"

"I got it." I cut him off before he could start repeating himself.

The bastard simply smiled.

"I'm glad you understand."

Suddenly, my phone started ringing in my pocket... Gee, I wonder who that can be.

We weren't talking for that long, were we?

I slipped the cellphone out of my pocket and flipped it open... Huh?

The screen simply displayed the word "Devil" on it.

…

…What the hell?!

Koizumi and Takeshi both peered over my shoulder.

"What the-?!" Is all I got out of Takeshi.

Koizumi simply frowned.

Well, I'm not going to find out what this is about by letting it ring. Sometimes, we have to take risks.

And unfortunately, I'm the lightning rod.

I pressed on the "Answer" button and set the phone on "Speaker" mode.

"...Hello?"

"Suzumiya's days are numbered."

Right after that, the phone screen went as dark as a starless night.

Alright, I'll admit it. I'm having a slight freakout right now...

God knows what Koizumi or Takeshi saw on my face, but I have a feeling they didn't care.

"That's... Troublesome."

Listen, I don't like Koizumi, but when he says something is troublesome, he's probably right.

"Who do you think that was?" I asked.

"I don't know."

...That's even more creepy. Could this be one of those "Enemies of the SOS Brigade" that Koizumi talked about back at the Time-Disorted Mansion a couple weeks back? I decided to ask.

"Yes. Definitely. Someone out there wants Suzumiya gone. I'll need to talk to the Agency about this." He responded.

"I'll ask the rest of The Sliders. I think another meeting should be set up." Takeshi also replied.

My Phone started ringing again. I almost threw it like a baseball until I realized it just said "Haruhi" on the screen.

I let out a relieved sigh and hit "Answer".

And you know there's a problem when I'm relieved by one of Haruhi's calls.

"Hello?"

"KYON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO MEET BACK AT THE TRAIN STATION TEN MINUTES AGO! I THOUGHT KOIZUMI AND TAKESHI WOULD KEEP YOU IN CHECK! WHAT DID YOU DO? ARE YOU SLEEPING AGAIN?!"

Haruhi buzzed off questions so quickly The Flash would be jealous.

"GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" She said before she hung up.

I sighed.

"Well, looks like we're heading back."

Haruhi gave me a rapier sharp glare.

"Itsuki! What were you doing?!"

Oh, okay. Address Koizumi this time. That's cool.

Then again, why am I complaining? He's 10x better at coming up with lies than I am.

"Sorry Suzumiya. We were so intrigued by our searches we lost track of time!"

That seemed to satisfy Haruhi.

"Oh, alright. See, Kyon? All you have to do is tell the truth!"

I didn't say anything.

"Well, I guess that would conclude today's session."

Haruhi sighed. Guess she didn't find anything supernatural.

"I'll see you guys at School tomorrow, then."

"Wait."

I spoke up.

Haruhi looked towards me.

"What is it, Kyon?"

"Let me walk you home."

"...What?"

Alright, let me clear something up here. I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to Haruhi. Especially after that Phone Call. If she goes down, so does the World.

Koizumi and Takeshi seemed to get it, Nagato was probably already figuring it out, and Asahina gave me a confused look. I shot both her and Nagato a "I'll tell you later" look and turned towards Haruhi.

Meanwhile, Haruhi was more confused than a third grader looking at a College-level Algebra question.

"I can walk myself home."

You could be a bit more grateful, you know.

"I'm not supposed to come home for another two hours." I lied. "I need to do something to kill time for awhile."

"Well..."

Here it goes, I bet she saw right through that one. I bet I'm gonna get some type of stupid punishment for treason.

"Okay."

...What?

"If you're not supposed to go home, I can't just leave you out here! It wouldn't be right for a Brigade Leader to leave her subordinates!"

...She actually fell for that?

"Alright then, Everyone except Kyon is dismissed!"

"Did you find anything today?"

Me and Haruhi were walking down the street. I stressed for conversation to make things go by a bit faster.

"Nothing. You?"

"Well..."

Yes, actually. We got a phone call from some probably-supernatural creature going by the name "Devil". He's probably evil and it seems very likely he's going to kill you the first chance he gets. You should really watch your back more, Haruhi. Searching for phenomenons has finally come back at you.

I didn't say any of that, of course. But I wanted to.

"No, we didn't."

Haruhi simply grunted as she crossed her arms.

"That makes sense."

It does?

"You're not going to find Aliens, Time Travelers, Espers, or Sliders by looking around. They're shy!"

Where'd you get the idea that they were shy? It's more like you scare the living hell out of them.

"We need to work slowly on these things! If we keep going out like this, eventually one is bound to find us!"

"And then what?"

"Then we jump them and tie them up!"

…You're not gonna attract anything supernatural with that kind of attitude.

Then again... She did.

"You really plan on tying them up?"

"Well, maybe. Only if they try to run, though!"

If I were being approached by a strange girl and her group of weirdos as they asked me a bunch of strange questions, I'd run too.

Anyways, we continues walking down the sidewalk as Haruhi talked about the Supernatural. I learned a bit about what she thought about Werewolves and Vampires, and she specifically stated that she hated the way modern movies depict them.

Eventually, we managed to make it to Haruhi's house.

It was nothing fancy, just a regular sized Urban Home. I guess that's not surprising, but considering Alternate World Haruhi went to a Private School, I was expecting something a bit bigger.

"Alright, come in." Haruhi said as she opened the door.

We walked upstairs and into Haruhi's room. The only thing that stood out were the Calender, Digital Clock, and Window.

As I pondered about why she waa inviting me in, she spoke up.

"Don't worry about my Mom. She's working."

"Where is she working?"

"Doesn't matter."

I stayed silent as Haruhi just stared at me.

"You want something to eat?"

Well, that's very generous of you.

"Sure."

"Alright, give me a second."

I sat down on her bed and stared out the window.

After awhile, Haruhi came back in carrying two paper plates, each with galf a sandwich on it.

"Here."

Haruhi handed me a paper plate and sat down next to me as she casually munched down her sandwich.

I said thanks and joined her.

What really annoys me is that Haruhi is a great cook. She can make a simple sandwich taste pretty good.

I swear, she's a jack of all trades or something.

"Kyon."

"Hmm?"

"You didn't have to lie about not being allowed to go to your house for a couple hours. You guys found something supernatural, huh?"

She's smart, I'll give her that. I couldn't afford to let her know, though.  
>Time to feign ignorance.<p>

"I don't know what you're talking about. My Parents and Sister are just setting something up is all."

"I don't believe you."

"But, if you're not going to tell me, I'm not going to force it out of you."

That's very un-Haruhi of you.

I had the sudden thought that Haruhi might actually know about the phone call... But I quickly dismissed it. There's no way she could know.

"Do you like the Sandwich?"

Haruhi quickly changed subjects. Again, very un-Haruhi of her. Maybe she's feeling a bit sick?

"It's alright."

"That's good."

Seriously, what was with her today? Then again... Haruhi has been extremely off lately.

Showing gratitude towards me? Letting me into her home and changing the subject?

That's not Haruhi. Not the Haruhi I know, at least.

"Hey, My Mom is coming home soon. You should probably go."

"Yeah, alright."

I got up off the bed and walked to the door.

"Well, I'll see you later, Haruhi."

As I grabbed the handle, she spoke out again.

"Kyon! Wait!"

I turned around.

"What's up?"

Haruhi was standing up, her hand reaching out. Something about her facial expression looked worried.

"It's... You can't..."

"Can't what?"

"...Nevermind. Just be careful, alright?"

Something is definitely up.

"Yeah, alright."

I almost didn't want to leave, if she's alone, that Devil guy can probably attack. Who knows what that can cause?

"I opened the door and began to walk out before Haruhi let out a scream.

"What the-?"

I turned around and saw Haruhi fall back on her bed, eyes closed.

I quickly ran to her side and started shaking her shoulder lightly.

"Haruhi? Haruhi?!"

This is bad. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad.

What the hell just happened?!

"Kyon..."

I heard a whisper come from her mouth.

Something is definitely wrong.

"Hang on... I'm calling an ambulance!"

I quickly pulled out my phone to dial the Emergency Services, but my phone said I was already in a call with "Devil".

"Hehe... Hehehe..."

I heard his deep voice coming from the speakers.

"I'd be watching my back if I were you. You just messed with the wrong Brigade!"

I hung up on him after saying that and quickly dialed the emergency services.

I felt like I pulled that line out of an action movie of some sort. I probably did. But I don't have time to think about that right now.

I immediately requested an ambulance and dialed up Koizumi's phone number right after.

"Kyon? A Closed Space just opened up! What's going on?!"

"No time to explain! Come to Haruhi's house immediately! Call the other Brigade Members!"

I hung up on him before he could respond.

Sirens wailed outside. A team of paramedics were in Haruhi's room and put her on a Stretcher as the carried her outside. I followed them as the rest of the SOS Brigade ran up.

That timing was almost too perfect.

"Kyon...? Haruhi...?" That was Asahina. She looked really scared. I wanted to admire how cute she looked when she was scared, but we didn't have the time.

"Kyon, what happened?" Takeshi walked up to me.

"I don't know."

I nodded my head to behind Haruhi's house. He nodded.

"Alright, I get it."

I told the other Brigade Members to stay put as me and Takeshi walked behind the house.

"Closed Spaces have opened up and an alternate dimension split off from this one. This is looking very bad."

No time for complementaries.

"Devil called me again."

"Oh."

We had a moment of silence like we were at a Funeral before Takeshi spoke up.

"I think it's time I showed you."

"Showed me what?"

"The Multiverse."

Wait...

"If you don't see what's happening now, I might not get the chance to show you again."

Takeshi's green eyes showed a hint of fear on them.

As much as I didn't want to see the Multiverse, I don't think I had much of a choice.

"Alright. Let's get this over with."

Takeshi nodded as he grabbed my wrist.

"Close you eyes."

So it's going to be one of those trips, huh?

I closed my eyes as a weird sensation pulled over me. I have no idea how to describe it. It was like everything around me was fading away as I was vanishing to another plane of existence.

"Open your eyes."

I obliged and looked around.

The entire area around me was filled with nothing but large nebulae-like clouds and stars. Most of the clouds gave out a blue hue as they seemed to spin.

It looked like they were some kind of celestial hurricanes without the eye.

"Those are dimensions. Each one holds a different plane of existence in them. New dimensions create themselves as others die. An endless cycle. But there's a pair of dimensions I want you to focus on..."

Takeshi pointed towards two dimensions that were right next to each other. They looked exactly the same, except for the fact that one had a green hue and the other had a red hue.

"The green one is your dimension. That's the dimension that completely goes against the cycle."

"And the red one?"

"The red one is the alternate one Haruhi made."

I looked closely at the red one, there were little dots flying around it at rapid speeds.

They weren't easy to see, it was like trying to look at a group of ants from a second story window.

"Those are my the other Sliders. Right now they're working to keep the two dimensions from crashing."

"Your dimension is different from most. Usually, when dimensions split apart one dies as the other one starts anew. That one is strange, though. It splits apart but runs perfectly fine afterwards."

"The other dimensions react oddly to yours, as well. They orbit around it like it's their Star."

"We think Haruhi is the cause of this. For some reason, she's the link between all of them."

"I see."

I'm trying to make sense of what Takeshi is saying, I really am. If any of you actually understand him, please contact me and give me a simplified version.

"The alternate dimensions don't orbit around yours."

"They just split up and slowly collide back in. It's like looking into a mirror but your reflection slowly fades away."

"And this is bad?"

"As long as it's contained, no. But the more tough decisions that come into Suzumiya's life in each of these dimensions, the more that are created. If too many are made, it could end up disrupting the Gravitational Pull between Dimensions."

"Once the copies get into the hundreds, it gets very hard to maintain them. And other dimensions start orbiting around these copies, it can mess everything up. So we have to make sure Suzumiya resolves her options quickly."

"What was the choice she regretted this time?"

"Wanna see?"

...Am I allowed to do that? I mean, I guess I expected it. I've been inside Closed Spaces, back in time, and I've seen two Data Overmind Interfaces fight to the death in some type of Data-made battlefield.

But, I can't say I'm not curious.

I nodded and Takeshi looked me straight in the eye.

"Hold your breath."

"Why?"

"Currently, you're not breathing at all. I don't know if you noticed that yet or not."

Come to think of it... I'm really not. Wait... If I wasn't breathing, then how am I alive right now?

"Your body has been in a sort of ghostly state. You don't require oxygen up here. But, your body will need a second to get used to it again, so I ask that you please hold your breath while we do this."

I obliged and took a deep breath.

It's sort of weird breathing in something that's not there. It's like you're drinking water that's just a hallucination. You feel like something is going down, but there's nothing really there.

"Close your eyes and count to five. Then feel free to start breathing again."

I closed my eyes.

1...

2...

3...

4...

5...

I exhaled and opened my eyes. I was once again back in Haruhi's room, right at the point where I was about to exit. My hand was on the doorknob and I was about to open it.

"Kyon, wait!"

I turned around as I was overwhelmed with a mixed sensation of Deja Vu and Nostolgia.

"What's up?"

"...Nevermind. Just be careful, okay?"

Oh, hell no. That is not happening again.

"Haruhi, if you have something to say. Just say it."

"Well... You're gonna think I'm crazy."

Believe me, I already do.

"Just tell me."

"Alright... Kyon, I feel like I'm being watched. It's really scaring me."

There we go.

"What do you think is watching you?"

"I don't know... It's like some kind of evil force... Like..."

"A Demon?" I cut in.

"Yeah, like that. When Me, Mikuru, and Yuki were searching, I suddenly felt like it was there. Like it was after you guys."

"Me, Koizumi, and Takeshi?"

"Yeah." Haruhi solemly nodded her head. I could almost hear a type of melancholy in her voice.

"So that's why you called?"

"Mhm. I wanted to make sure you guys were okay."

That... Explains quite a bit, actually.

"Kyon..." Haruhi looked up at me, her large eyes resembled that of a puppy who wanted some scraps off the Dinner Table.

"What is it?"

"Don't let it get me."

Suddenly, everything around me turned bright as a loud explosion rang in my ear.

Everything went white... And then black...

I opened my eyes quickly and fell down onto the ground, barely managing to catch myself with my arms.

My heart was beating really fast, and I could feel myself exhaling more than I probably should.

"Kyon!"

I looked up, Takeshi was standing in front of me. I then proceeded to check my surroundings. We were once again at the back on Haruhi's home. I could hear an Ambulence in the background.

"What... What the hell just happened?" I managed to find myself saying.

"Oh man... I didn't think putting you in a copy dimension would take that much of an effect on your body! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine."

I slowly managed to get up.

"Did the other Dimension close?"

"It melded together with the main one, yes."

So, Haruhi had told me what she wanted to tell me in the first place.

"Kyon, what did Suzumiya say?"

"She said... She said she was afraid. Like she was being watched. And she told me not to let it get her."

"What is 'it'?" Takeshi asked himself.

I'm pretty sure that was rhetorical. Because he soon frowned.

"Devil." He finally said. I could see a level of fear in his eyes. Almost like he was the main protagonist from a Murder Anime.

"Do you know who he is?" I asked.

"Not yet. But we're gonna find out. Come on. Let's get back to the others."

We both walked to the front yard. The Paramedics had finally gotten Haurhi into the Ambulence.

"Where are you taking Suzumiya?" Asahina asked one of them.

"We're taking her to the local hospital. Don't worry, she'll make it. She's just in shock."

I'm not surprised. Haruhi was definitely in shock.

And, if he was smart, the person behind it was probably waiting at the Hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

Taking turns with others to watch over an unconscious person isn't the greatest way to start the week. Luckily for us, Haruhi was taken to the hospital that The Agency owned so we didn't have to worry too much about her protection.

Nevertheless, I decided to bring back one of Haruhi's old tricks and have each Brigade Member look over her for a certain amount of time.

In case you're wondering, back when I was in this exact same hospital, Haruhi had the SOS Brigade do the exact same thing... Except she never actually left the room. So, in light of that, I thought it would be appropriate to do the same thing.

For now, it was my turn to watch her. I sat back and tried reading a novel that Nagato lent me not too long ago. I flipped through each page and tried focusing on the words, but as time went by my mind started to zone out and I found myself skipping through entire paragraphs.

I sighed and put it down. No way in hell I can read it at this rate.

I slouched back on the chair and looked at the ceiling like it was the world's greatest piece of art before I found myself losing grip of my consciousness and I fell asleep.

…

I was soon forced out of my slumber as a soft finger tapped my shoulder.

"Hmm?"

I opened an eye and spotted Nagato standing there, holding a thick book in her hand.

"Oh."

Guess it was Nagato's turn.

I began to get up as I glanced over towards Haruhi, who was still out.

"Sit." Nagato spoke.

Since I'm not going to ignore a request from Nagato, I inevitably sat back down.

Nagato sat next to me as she stared at Haruhi.

"Is something wrong?"

"Suzumiya isn't in an unconscious state."

...That was fast.

"Her Brain Activity is not reacting like it would to an unconscious situation. She's subconsciously been battling a higher phenomenon unlike anything the Data Overmind has ever witnessed."

I decided to remain silent and see where Nagato was going with this.

"We are unsure of the Phenomenon at this time. It's power is easily on par with Suzumiya's and it's victory over her could have drastic effects on us. The Data Overmind has been doing it's best to battle such an event by taking exemplary precautions with The Agency, Time Travelers, and Sliders."

"How?"

"The Sliders are keeping watch on individual dimensions to see where it's getting it's power, Time Travelers are looking for fluxes in time and The Agency has been searching for clues in Closed Spaces. We have been looking for any type of Data Corruption, but our methods have proven to be ineffective. Whenever a clue has been found, it quickly disappears and we can't figure out where it's source is."

"Nagato."

I needed to make a slight change in topic, Nagato could go on about this all day.

"Yes?"

"What created it? Was it Haruhi?"

"...I don't know."

You know what freaks me out more than Koizumi saying he doesn't know something? Nagato saying she doesn't know something. She's supposed to be the Shadow Broker of our group. Miss KnowEverything.

So... When she doesn't know something... I know we're in serious trouble.

"Can we fight it?"

Nagato stayed silent for a moment, looking off into space like she could see behind the walls... And I wouldn't doubt it for a moment.

"Data not provided at this time."

...And now she's sounding like a Windows Status Report that just got corrupted by a Virus.

Nagato clutched the hand she had on her lap slightly as she looked down.

"I'm sorry."

How am I supposed to react to that? What is she sorry for? Not knowing enough? It's not her fault, we're just against something that we haven't faced before! She can't blame herself for that.

...Of course, I didn't actually say that.

Whatever we're facing... It's bad. And not even Nagato knows if we can beat it or not.

I'm not going to hide that I was scared. I bet Nagato could sense the shaking in my breath. She looked up at me like a sad child who had just witnessed a murder.

"Protect Suzumiya."

I nodded. I couldn't do anything else. I stood up as I gave Nagato a solemn glance before I walked out of the room. Nagato simply looked down at the floor.

It was not my week.

School started up the next day. I informed Okabe that me and Haruhi wouldn't be attending school due to her condition.

He agreed, thankfully enough, and wished her luck. He also offered to provide tutoring for us so that we could catch up on what we missed.

I'm pretty sure Haruhi won't need it, but I will.

But, hey, As long as we get off school and Okabe doesn't send a "get well soon" card, I'm sure she'll be fine.

Hopefully.

Koizumi, Takeshi, Nagato, and Asahina had informed their individual teachers about it as well so we all had the next week off of school.

Taniguchi had called be me up, telling me that if Asahina or Nagato required any assistance, he would be there to help out.

Kunikada had also called, but he just asked if I needed help.

I guess they consider themselves Brigade Members.

Or... By Haruhi's terms, Junior SOS Brigade Members.

But, I denied them. I don't want them getting involved in the Supernatural. Plus, Taniguchi has trouble with grades, I'd feel bad if I let him miss school.

About the time when I finally eased up about the fact that no one else would get involved, Asahina had asked to talk to me at the back of the hospital.

Just as I was expecting something involving time travel, or a romance scene –Hey, a guy can dream!– I saw the over-energetic face of Tsuruya.

"Heya, Kyon!"

Well... That's just great.

"Mikuru told me you guys could use some help! Luckily for you, I was right on the case!"

I looked over at Asahina, who gave me the adorable "I'm sorry" puppy dog eyes.

Dammit, I can't be mad at her!

Tsuruya wiped a hand under her dark greenish hair as it quickly swept to the side and she gave me a mischievous grin.

"No need to worry!"

I'm worried.

"I'll make sure Haruhi is good and fit!"

Now I'm more worried.

As Tsuruya asked a bunch of questions about her condition and where her room was, I inevitably answered.

Well, if I learned anything from the winter vacation trip, it's that Tsuruya probably already has some sense of what's going on.

Even so, I guess I can't turn down Tsuruya's help and make Asahina feel bad. I don't even care if Kunikada and Taniguchi find out about it. They'll understand.

As Tsuruya rushed inside Asahina walked up next to me.

"Kyon..."

"What is it?"

"I'm worried... About Suzumiya..."

Asahina's eyes were starting to get a bit teary as she looked up at me with the most innocent expression a baby angel would have trouble matching up against.

She's so adorable!

"Why are you worried? I'm sure Haruhi's gonna be fine."  
>Besides, you should probably enjoy it while it lasts. Haruhi can't force you into revealing costumes while she's unconscious. I didn't say that out loud.<p>

"But... Devil... He's... He's..."

"What?"

"He's trying to reactivate the Time Quake!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... He's... Suzumiya's time powers are... It's like a heartbeat monitor..."

Asahina's face reddened with embarrassment as she did her best to explain to me. I stopped her before she completely embarrassed herself.

"I get it. Don't worry. Nagato already explained things."

"Oh... Okay. It's just... Devil isn't supposed to be on our Time Plane."

"Wait... He's not?"

"No... He just appears on our... That's classified."

I see the Time Travelers are still censoring Asahina's words.

"Asahina... This is really important that we find out who he is. Can't you ask if you can tell me?"

"That's classified."

"Alright... Can you try to explain?"

"I... I can't..."

"I see..."

I guess it's pointless then. She probably had something really important to say. I'm guessing the older Asahina might know something about this, but I doubt she'll appear anytime soon.

"I... I have to go!"

Asahina said as she stared off behind me.

I turned around and spotted Tsuruya's head poking out from around the corner. As soon as she saw me she quickly gasped and rehid herself.

Not very secretive, is she? I'm guessing Ninja won't be on her career list.

Asahina quickly ran past me and went around the corner with her.

I sighed and walked in the opposite direction. I wasn't going to burst Tsuruya's bubble quite yet.

I ended up walking through the parking lot, admiring all the different kinds of cars lined up in neatly placed rows.

To be honest, I never understood why so many different kind of cars existed. I mean... They all do the same thing, right? Just go from one place to another. Besides, if you ask me, I think the Train is a lot better for those type of things.

My phone started ringing in my pocket and I nonchalantly pulled it out and flipped it open.

Takeshi was displayed on the screen.

I hit answer and held it up to my ear.

"Kyon! Big news! Me and Koizumi might have figured something out! Meet us at Nagato's Apartment!"

Wait... Nagato's apartment? Why there?

Nevermind, I'm overthinking this.

"Alright, I'll be over there in a bit."

"Good. We think you'll like this."

Takeshi hung up.

I slipped my Cell Phone into my pocket and looked towards the Hospital. I can't believe someone would do something like that to Haruhi.

I mean, I know she's crazy and could probably destroy the world... But... She's just Haruhi. She never asked to be brought into this, as far as I know.

I put my thoughts aside and turned back around. Nagato's Apartment is pretty far away. I'll need to take the Train just to get within walking distance... Well, better to start now.

It was around an hour or so later when I finally reached Nagato's apartment. The landlord welcomed me, but I just waved and continued walking. I made my way up the stairs and shoved my hands into my pockets.

I really hope that whatever Koizumi and Takeshi found is worth it. I'm getting really edgy about this Devil guy. He's like some type of Assassin and I'm in a group of Secret Agents trying to take him down.

As I made it up to the floor Nagato's Apartment was on, I made a quick walk down the hallway and eventually found her door.

I went to knock but I soon realized that the door was already partially open. I guess they didn't want me to knock.

I hesitantly opened the door and looked around... The room was completely empty except for the regular furniture that was always there.

Maybe they're in the back room or something.

I wandered around the small apartment. Feelings of nostalgia washed over me as I opened a sliding door and saw two bedspreads lying there. They looked as if nobody has laid in them for months. Which isn't completely untrue.

I guess Nagato never bothered to pick them up.

I didn't even bother to go inside and shut the door. I'm not sure if the room is still time distorted or not, but I refuse to take that chance.

I then went through the rest of the rooms –which there are only a couple of by the way– and found no signs of Takeshi or Koizumi. Hell, it didn't even look like they came in.

I sighed and walked back to the main room and decided to take one more look around. After a bit of looking around, I noticed there was a piece of paper lying on the table.

I walked over and picked it up.

_Kyon. I'm sorry we're not there like Takeshi said we would be but this is the only way I can tell you. We're being watched. Listened to. Our every word is being recorded. There's no time to explain, but I promise you'll find the answers in the SOS Brigade Club Room. __Someone will be waiting for you there.__ Be careful. You're being watched too._

-Itsuki Koizumi

As I passed over that last sentence, I got a sudden shiver down my spine. I felt like I was in a Horror Movie and a Ghost just entered the room.

I reflexively looked around and found out that the room was, in fact, still empty.

No worries there.

I'm such an idiot... Well, no point dwelling on it.

I folded the note up and put it into my pocket as I walked towards the door.

The sun was starting to set when I reached North High. Can't say I like going to school during the evening... But, what has to be done shall be done.

I nonchalantly walked up to the second building of the school and grabbed the doorknob. I gave it a pull but to no avail.

Guess it was locked up for the night.

I was about to give up and try again tomorrow but the minute I turned away I heard a _click. _I turned back around to see the door wide open... That's definitely not something pulled out of a Horror Movie.

I stared at the open door for a little while before taking a deep breath of frosty air and slowly exhaled.

Be brave, Kyon. Now is not the time to start crying for Nagato... As great as that idea seems right now.

I hesitantly walked through the entrance and up the stairs befor looking around the building. The lights were taking a pattern of On, Off throughout the hallway. So it was dark, but I could still see.

I'm pretty sure even the creator of Paranormal Activity would be scared out of his mind right now. I know I was.

I made my up down the hallway. Every single room was dark except one that I could faintly see not too far off.

As I made it up to that room, I saw "SOS Brigade" on the plaque.

Well, that figures.

I approached the door. I could faintly hear talking behind it, but it was too quiet to make anything out. I took one last look around the hallway just to be safe and slowly opened the door... Every light in the hallway quickly turned off.

Doing my best to not pay attention to that, I kept my eyes on the room. I saw a slender male figure leaning against a wall. In front of him a Woman with rather large... er... assets was standing.

Takeshi and the Older Asahina.

"Kyon!" She said as she ran up to me and gave me a hug.

I could feel my face burning with heat and I can assume I was probably blushing. Even more evident was the fact that Takeshi had put a hand over his mouth and let out little snickers.

She quickly backed away and I could feel my face cooling off as if someone had turned an A/C on inside of my cheeks.

"It's been so long! How have you been?"

I kept myself from looking down and replied.

"Uh... Not bad. So, what are we doing here?"

"Right." Takeshi spoke up, still leaning against the wall.

"Devil's identity is becoming more curious with every little thing we find out."

Asahina spoke up.

"For some reason, my colleagues can't seem to find any trace of him anywhere down the Time Line... He just... Appeared."

Alright... So that kind of explains what my Asahina was trying to tell me. But that still leaves one question...

"Wait... We never met this guy. How were you able to track him?"

Takeshi and Asahina looked at each other.

"Well... Remember that call you got?" Takeshi spoke up.

"Yeah."

"The Agency was working to trace where it came from. We got some sense of who he was, but his DNA doesn't match anything of this world."

Well, I guess that kinda explains things... And speaking of The Agency, where's Koizumi? I decided to ask.

"He's helping out with the investigation of a Closed Space, right now. Apparently, it's a lot different from the usual ones."

"So it's not like the other gray nightmares?"

"Er... Are they really gray? Huh... Anyways, this one is different because it corresponds with a couple of alternate dimension that we're dealing with."

Wait... I thought we closed that one. Were there more?

"And..." Older Asahina spoke up. "It's on every realm of time as well."

"..."

"I can't really give details, but we're finding the exact same spot in every era from the moment Suzumiya's powers activated to my own Timeline."

"It's quite literally a point that transcends time and space." Takeshi stepped in.

"Is Devil behind this?"

"We're not sure. Although, it's a strong possibility at the moment."

I guess that asshole just can't leave us alone.

"We also talked with one of the Data Overmind's interfaces to see if it was affecting them, as well."

I started to ponder whether or not is was Nagato.

"And no, it wasn't Nagato."

...I swear that these people can read minds.

"Anyways, apparently this Closed Space is causing ripples in data across Space as well."

"And..." The older Asahina spoke up.

As Takeshi and I looked at her, she flinched.

"Um... See... I'm not sure how I can say this with the censor... But..." She exhaled as if she was in a yoga class.

"We think that Devil might not be from this time plane."

Kinda figured that.

"He's... Um... That's classified."

I sighed. Guess this is just gonna end up like my conversation with Younger Asahina.

"I'm sorry, Kyon! But I just can't say quite yet... Just... Just know that Devil is causing a paradox. And it's affecting us."

"..."

The Older Asahina lowered her head as she began walking to the door.

"I'll see you later, Okay?"

Before I could answer, she left. I went to go chase after he but Takeshi put a hand on my shoulder.

"She's probably already returning to the Future right now. You won't find her."

He's right... But... Dammit! I don't like seeing Asahina sad! Any version of her!

"Kyon, I'll say my parting words then you can go home."

"..."

Alright, I decided to listen.

"Before you came, Asahina and I were talking about where Devil might come from. And I have a possible answer."

"What is it?"

"He might be from a different dimension. A different place with different rules."

"..."

"Or... He might be something bigger."

Something bigger?

"He might be a combination of allSuzumiya's fears put into one. Well... At least... That's what Koizumi told me to say."

That figures. I can imagine Koizumi coming up with something crazy like that.

"I guess that's the most likely solution, huh? Well... If that's so... Then something is gonna have to put her mind at rest."

"..."

Takeshi looked up at me and gave me a half-hearted smile.

"Well... That's all I really needed to say. You can go home now."

"And what about you?"

"I'll go later. I need to think for a bit longer on this."

I shrugged and said goodbye.

I then quickly left the building and made my way home.

But there was one thing that was still bugging me... Who opened the door?


	4. Chapter 4

I had eventually headed home. After a quick off-the-shot explanation to my parents as to where I had been, I headed to bed.

I was planning to head back to the Hospital the next morning.

Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned.

…

I woke up the next morning and was greeted to nothing but silence. No phone calls... No annoying Sister to wake me... Nothing.

Not even Shamisen was curled up on the foot of my bed, per usual... I guess that my Sister must've taken him at some point of the night so I shrugged it off.

I looked at my Alarm Clock, it said 10 AM... I guess that explains why my Sister wasn't here. She must've gone to school. And my Parents are probably at work.

Quickly getting dressed into something more casual, I headed out. I then got onto my Bicycle and quickly headed out to catch the next Train.

…

Alright. Something is definitely wrong.

1. I saw no one around. Like, at all. Despite the fact that it should be pretty busy around this time.

2. I tried calling Koizumi at one point but my Phone had no service.

3. It's oddly cloudy today... Didn't the Weatherman say it was supposed to be clear?

And if those three things aren't enough to convince you, let's move on to what happened next.

…

I finally made it to the Train Station. It was empty, as if it was one of those Ghost Towns that no one ever visits because it was too damn creepy.

When I had decided to leave and try calling Koizumi again, a train quickly pulled up and opened the doors. Usually, I wouldn't go onto a completely mysterious train that could probably lead to doom, but it said it was going to the Stop I had to get to.

And quite frankly, I did not feel like riding all the way there.

So, I got on the train against every voice screaming in my head telling me not.

Needless to say, it was a quiet train ride. There was never any voice coming over the intercom and the seats were barren. Although, I guess I already expected that.

Soon, the Train dropped me off at the Stop and zoomed away the moment I stepped onto the ground. This Station was empty too.

...What the hell is going on?

A lightning strike soon crashed somewhere behind me and rain started coming down.

I should have brought an umbrella.

I sighed and started quickly walking, doing my best to get under cover. Another lightning strike crashed in the distance and the rain stopped.

As I was about to question it, snow started falling down.

I decided to start sprinting before Mother Nature decided to make my day worse with hail.

You may be asking yourself, "How is Kyon so calm?"

Well, believe me, I'm not. In fact, I'm terrified!

I mean... I'm in a situtation that's completely unexplainable! Who am I supposed to pray to? Christ? Buddha? Muhammad? Zarathustra? Shiva? Lovecraft?

I don't care who it is, just get me out of this... this... Whatever this is!

Unfortunately, it's probably not that easy, is it?

So I have to keep moving forward and hope I find someone soon. The sooner I get out, the better.

The Hospital was in sight, I finally made it! Maybe the rest of the SOS Brigade was in there and I could get an explanation for this madness!

I ran over there as quickly as possible, my one hope for retribution in this god-forsaken place!

Once I got over there, the place was –as I expected– barren.

No time to dwell on that now, I'm just an elevator ride up. I'm sure of it!

I hit the "Up" Button, but it wasn't being as cooperative as the Train was.

I guess I'll have to take the hard way up... I made my way to the door that had a small sign next to it that said "Stairway".

…

After a lot of painful walking, I finally made it up to Haruhi's floor. I opened the door and walked into the hallway.

I looked around trying to figure out which way Haruhi's room was. Before I could figure it out a voice spoke out from across the hallway.

"Well. It seems as though you finally came."

Right when I was ready to be pounced, I turned around to spot Koizumi standing there. A possibly fake smile was across his face as he waved at me.

I knew I'd find someone up here.

"Come on. The other Brigade Members are in Haruhi's room."

I followed the tall bastard as we made our ways across the hallway. When we found it, he opened it and held it open.

"Please, go ahead."

I see you're polite as ever... I walked in and he followed in suite, shutting the door.

"KYON!" Was the first thing I heard as I was suddenly hugged. I looked down to see a beautiful angel's face and chestnut colored hair.

"W-we didn't think you were gonna come!" She said, wiping away from what was probably a tear.

Oh, Asahina... Your loving embrace is all I need to free myself from this world!

"If I can..." Koizumi spoke up.

...What do you want? I'm busy.

"We seem to be trapped inside of a Closed Space. All the other Brigade Members woke up here in the Hospital... Where were you?"

...You mean they get to wake up in a convenient area and I have to go away across town? I call foul place.

I told Koizumi about where I was.

"...That's rather odd, don't you think? Why would you wake up in your own house and we wake up over here?"

Around that moment, the door opened and Takeshi and Nagato made their ways in.

"Ah... I see you found him!" Takeshi said. "Sorry, Kyon. We were looking all over the Hospital! Where were you?"

I glanced at Koizumi, no way in hell I'm explaining again.

Koizumi gave them the short version. Takeshi nodded as Nagato remained expressionless.

"That makes sense." Takeshi said. "If Devil has anything to do with this, he'd want to keep Kyon away. Speaking of which... How did you get over here anyways? There's no way you made it on time just by walking."

"I took the Train." I answered his question, but it only confused him more.

"Why was the train running?" Koizumi asked himself.

I took this time to glance over at Haruhi, she was still lying in the bed sound asleep. I guess even being at the edge of possible doom wasn't enough to wake Haruhi up.

"On any note," Koizumi continued to talk. "I think our top priority should be to find a way out of here."

"Who put you in charge?"

"Hmm?" Koizumi looked at me. "I was merely going through our options, I wasn't taking any kind of leadership role."

...Whatever, he's right anyways... As much as I'd hate to admit it.

"You said you came from your house, right?" Takeshi spoke up.

"Yeah."

"Then that means the Closed Space is larger than we anticipated... It might have already spread into Kobe."

"You think that's possible?"

"Oh, definitely. If it's already taken over our small little town, it could have very well gone past."

"And what does that mean?"

"It means... The whole World is being engulfed as we speak."

"I see..." Koizumi pitched in. "That might explain a few things... But I still don't understand how the Train managed to run and why it's gotten so big. Devil couldn't possibly have that much power."

"He could." …Hang on, that wasn't any voice I knew.

I quickly spun towards the door and spotted a man –about my age– was leaning against the door side. He had jet black hair that was spiked up like he just came from the 90s. He also wore a long red trench coat with black flame designs on the bottom and otherwise standard wear.

He seriously looked like an Anti-Hero out of an underrated Manga.

"You know... I was really hoping to finish Suzumiya off sooner... But I thought it'd be much more fun if I did it in front of all her precious friends!"

This guy is seriously cliché...

"What do you want?" I asked, since no one else seemed obligated to do it.

"What do I want? I simply want to rid the World of an idiot. Somebody who completely misuses her powers because she wanted Sakura Trees to bloom... Or a cat to talk."

My mind suddenly went back to the filming of the SOS Brigade movie... He knew about that?

"Quite frankly," he continue. "She created me to caretake all of her fears, doubts, and hatred. I was created into this pitiful existence to take all the lashes she bottles up inside of her... And I'm tired of it."

While I admit, that sounds a bit harsh... Is it really worth killing her over?

"You can't be serious... You're going to kill her because you're her lightning rod? That's insane!"

"No... I'm going to eliminate her to bring peace to the Universe."

...What?

"Suzumiya carelessly manipulates the Universe to her will. Not even thinking twice about the drastic effects it causes."

"But... Haruhi's not in control of that! It's her subconscious!"

"Maybe so. But it's there nonetheless. Data is scattered and broken apart... Time Streams are created and destroyed... Closed Spaces, like this one, have the potential to destroy it, and she's always screwing with other dimensions just because she can't make up her damn mind."

"You're wrong..." Nagato spoke up for once. "Her abilities don't effect the Universe in that way. She has the ability to manipulate data... All Species with improved sentience can do that. It has no effect on the universe as it currently stands. What makes her different is that she can create data, which is a sign of autoevolution and the next step to what every species can achieve."

"And she doesn't want Closed Spaces to destroy the Universe." Koizumi stepped up to the plate. "That's why she created us. To maintain them so that they don't have that effect."

Takeshi nodded. "And she created Sliders to keep her choices in check. She doesn't want to harm the Multiverse."

"O-or time!" Asahina worked up the courage to speak. "S-suzumiya has h-helped us l-learn more about the Time Stream!"

Aww! I think I'll give her a break.

"They're right, you know." I said. "Why don't you stop looking at all the bad Haruhi does and look at the good stuff for once?"

Man... I never thought I'd say something like that. But, sure, Haruhi can be a pain in the ass. But I can't imagine what my life would be like if I never talked to her. I mean... I know I always complain about her and claim that I wish my life was normal again, but that's only half true! I honestly do have fun with these guys, even if I don't want to admit it! Haruhi more or less helped me. If I never met her... I don't think my life would be nearly as interesting as it is now. Haruhi isn't just some blight on the Universe... She's my friend.

Gah... I can't believe I just admitted that. I'll need to wash my brain out with soap and water later.

Anyways, my remark only seemed to make him more mad as he shot a death glare at me.

"You know... One of Suzumiya's greatest fears is losing you."

Wait... What?

"If I were to eliminate you... Maybe it might break her down and give me the advantage I need."

Hang on...

"Alright, Kyon. I'll do myself a solid and eliminate you right here."

As soon as he started charging, Nagato rushed in front of me with speed faster than a bullet and Koizumi grabbed him from behind in a full nelson while he was distracted... Nice team play.

"You can't do that. This individual is too important to be terminated." Nagato said. "If he were to die, the effects would be far too catastrophic."

Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or insult...

"That's right..." Koizumi said. "I'm afraid that Kyon is far too important. He's under the Agency's protection."

Wow... I think that's the nicest thing Koizumi ever said about me.

Devil simply grunted as a red vapor went around him. "I'll let him live... For now. But I will be back."

He soon went into flames and disappeared, leaving Koizumi looking as if he was about to break into some stupid 70s dance.

"I see..." He simply said as he lowered his arms. "I'm afraid that this is only the grim beginning. We're gonna be in here awhile."

You think?

I sighed as I turned my attention to Haruhi. Still sound asleep. She looked like she was the princess that just touched a spinning wheel and was put into an eternal slumber. Except, I'm not going to kiss her so that she wakes up.

"I sincerely hope Suzumiya doesn't wake up here... That could lead to some uncanny measures." Koizumi admired the sleeping girl.

I won't argue there.

"Although... I do wonder where Devil managed to get his abilities..." He continued on.

"He said he embodied all of Haruhi's fears or whatever... Maybe one of Haruhi's fears is having someone else use her powers."

Koizumi looked at me as if I had just come up with the equation to make an Atom Bomb.

"Th-that thought hadn't even crossed my mind... I guess it's possible."

He pondered that for a moment. Takeshi made a dramatic coughing noise with his mouth.

"Excuse me... But, what are we gonna do about him?"

"Well..." Koizumi put his hand on his chin. "It's hard to say... We don't know the full extent of his powers yet, so we can't actually do anything about it."

"Yeah... You've got a point." Takeshi sighed.

Haruhi rolled in her bed and grunted. "Ugh... Kyon..."

For a second, I almost had a heart attack. But, Haruhi soon calmed down and went back to being motionless... That was a close call.

Too close.

"Hmm... It seems as though Suzumiya is somewhat aware of the predicament that we were just in..." Koizumi said.

"Or she's just dreaming."

"...I guess that's possible too." Koizumi shrugged. "It was just a thought."

I ignored him and walked over next to Haruhi. Her face was tense, like Freddy Krueger was in her dream and she was fighting him... If that's the case, I almost feel bad for him.

Although, I guess I wasn't too far off with that metaphor... Nagato had said Haruhi was subconsciously battling Devil at every moment...

…

I turned over to Nagato.

"Is she battling him right now?"

"Yes."

"Is she winning?"

"...That information has yet to be fully developed."

"I see."

I walked over to the couch nearby and sat slouched back on it. Everyone's eyes fell on me as if they were expecting something.

...Wish granted.

"You guys know we can't let Devil win."

Good grief... Speeches aren't really my thing. I've been watching too many action movies lately...

They all continued to stare at me as if I was Heracles or something.

"Maybe Haruhi hasn't been the nicest to us... Hell, she drags us into impossible situations on a daily basis. But... We always manage to get ourselves out, right?"

...Right?

"I mean... This is just what we go through everyday. There's no doubt that Haruhi's a problem... But she's still our Leader. Heck, she's our friend."

I nearly choked on those words.

"So... Maybe the situation seems bad... But, I think we can get through it. We always do."

…God, that sucked, didn't it?

"Well..." Koizumi spoke up again. "I guess you're right, Kyon..."

"We can't just let him win." Takeshi spoke after him.

"R-right!" Asahina spoke up.

"..." Nagato gave the most inspirational remark of all.

Well... Glad my "speech" didn't leave them confused.

"Nice speech..." I heard Devil's voice ring throughout the atmosphere as if he was the Dungeon Master in our World. "But can you back it up?"

At that moment, what felt like an Earthquake started shaking the ground. The Brigade members –save for Nagato– ran towards the only window in the room.

...God dammit.

I saw two humanoid figures that were colored blue and hard no face.

"Celestials." Koizumi said.

Walking between them, I could barely make out a single man... Probably Devil.

"We gotta get out there..." Takeshi said.

"WAIT!" I replied. "We can't just leave Haruhi here!"

Nagato looked at me for a moment and then towards Haruhi.

"Security Protocol Alpha 143... Accessing User Password unlocked Activating..."

Nagato then looked at me.

"I have sealed this room with Security Protocols. If any type of corrupted data tries to slip in, I will be alerted immediately."

I sighed in relief. "Thanks Nagato."

She simply turned her head and started walking to the door.

We all followed in suit behind her.

…

Eventually, we managed to get downstairs. For some reason, the Elevator had suddenly decided to to start working. Nagato and Koizumi had a conversation about it on the way down.

"The Mechanics seems to have been manipulated from an outside data stream..." Nagato said.

"Indeed. Do you think Suzumiya has a hand in this?" Koizumi replied.

"Possible. She may have manipulated the data of the mechanism to have the device's overall schematics working by bringing in electricity from a cohesive battery source."

"Ah... That makes sense. Suzumiya's powers could very well have that potential... Do you think it was on purpose?"

"Unlikely. Suzumiya remains in an unconscious state. It is possible that she subconsciously willed the data, though the exact manner remains to be seen."

The doors opened and I walked out of that headache. Everyone followed me.

…

So, I can't tell you what was more terrifying, the fact the world was starting to go gray like any Closed Space or the fact that two blue giants were standing in front of me... Probably the latter.

"Koizumi... Can you handle that?" I asked.

"Maybe. I've never fought two before..."

"Perhaps I could offer assistance?" Nagato asked.

...Nagato has been very talkative today. I'm worried.

"I see... Well, I'm not gonna turn down the help."

They both looked at each other for a moment then turned towards the two Celestials.

Koizumi's body turned red for a moment as he was compressed into his flaming red tennis ball state.

...Please, anything but that! It's really starting to get old.

Anyways, Koizumi had charged –would that be the word?– towards the Celestial on the right, meanwhile, Nagato had jumped up towards Celestial #2 with mindblowing speed.

In fact, the battle happened so quickly I could barely make out what was going on... I'll try.

So, Koizumi was speeding around the Celestial at speed that would make lightning jealous and with each spin he cut off a piece of the it. And as each piece was cut off, it fell to the ground and disinigrated.

I guess he's not in the SOS Brigade for nothing.

Nagato on the other hand went with a very different plan. She held her hand out towards the thing and started whispering a bunch of alien chants, then saying "Delete sequence" and the whole Celestial just dissolved in the snap of a finger.

Well... I expected a more action-y scene, to be perfectly honest.

Devil simply smirked, as if he knew that was gonna happen anyways.

Koizumi formed back into a Human next to me... But, if he could stop pulling off a Samus, that would be nice.

"Hmm... Those Celestials weren't half as strong as the ones I usually face. We were either fortuitous or they're completely contingent to Suzumiya's powers."

Koizumi nodded, looking very satisfied with whatever he just said.

He was about to say something else but he was interrupted by a _BOOM _and he quickly jumped to the side as a large invisible force cut through the ground like a knife in butter.

He saved himself with a quick roll and looked straight towards Devil, his expression actually serious for once.

I looked over there too and saw that Devil's hand was up, a crude smile along his face.

I took a step back and Asahina quickly ran behind me, letting out little adorable whines.

Takeshi simply watched as Nagato and Koizumi walked up next to each other and faced Devil.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you help them?" I asked

"I can't. I'm developing a strategy right now..."

"Right..."

As if that cleared it up, he continued watching with his emerald green eyes.

Koizumi was quick to react as he held out his hand, a glowing red orb forming in it... As if I hadn't seen enough red orbs in my life.

He soon threw it towards Devil, who was quick to jump back as a large explosion blew in front of him.

Well... He dexterous.

Nagato chanted something as a random pole broke off from a nearby wall and flew straight towards him, hitting him right in the head.

...Maybe not.

He rubbed his head as he stood up, I could barely see a bruise at his side but it was soon healed up.

"Interesting..." Koizumi said.

"It seems as though he's manipulating the data in his body to repair organic damages..." Nagato said right after.

Nagato's technobabble actually made a bit of sense for once... Either that or I'm going crazy.

Devil simply grinned. Just as I was expecting another cliché comment, he held out his hand and another razer-sharp gust of air shredded the ground, nearly hitting me. I only survived due to me barely managing to side-step.

Asahina's cute whimpers only increased as Takeshi just stood there, still not phased by any of this.

"Hmm... Well, I got an idea." He said. "But it's crazy."

Koizumi threw another red ball at Devil. It wasn't very effective.

He simply countered it with razer-air.

"Will it work?" I asked.

"Maybe... I can ask my brethren to help me..."

"Help you what?"

Another explosion blew in the background, this time it seemd like Koizumi's red ball had actually made contact as Devil was blown back.

Nagato was on the move right after as spikes rose right out of the ground, Devil had managed to roll out of the way before they could cause any realy damage.

He then swiped his finger and Nagato got a somewhat-surprised look on her face. I looked down and saw a root was tangling around her ankle.

"See, Sliders know everything about Dimensions. It's our job. We have the ability to manipulate and maintain these dimensions... So, I have a theory. If a Slider really wanted to, I think he could create a dimension at a cost."

"What's the cost?"

"...His life."

I could almost feel a knife going through my heart... That hit it deep. Koizumi looked over his shoulder.

"You can't be serious... You're not really gonna do that, are you?"

"I'm afraid I am. It seems like it's the only way. If I can trap Devil in a dimension, I might be able to contain his powers."

I decided to put in my input.

"Are you really sure you want to sacrifice yourself?"

"I am."

...I guess there was no arguing about it. But that didn't mean I liked it.

"I'll need time to prepare my powers... In the mean time, I need a distraction and a way to weaken him."

"How can we do that? Every time we try to attack him, he just fixes himself!"

Nagato looked over at me. I felt something heavy forming in my hand.

Looking down, I saw a very familiar futuristic looking gun... Wait, wasn't that the same gun I used during Haruhi's Disappearance?

There was no mistaking it. It suddenly brought back the mental reminder that I need to go back and save myself at some point... But I dismissed that thought.

"If we can weaken his data link enough, it could possibly break his regenerative abilities."

"So... You're saying I need to shoot him?"

"Yes."

"How many times?"

"Three would bring the best results."

...How the hell was I supposed to shoot this guy three times? In case no one has noticed, I'm not exactly the best aim.

"Um... Kyon..." Asahina spoke behind me as Nagato and Koizumi resumed with their battle.

"I... uh... I can slow down time if you want..."

Aww... That's so swee-... How can she slow down time? I thought she was a time traveler, not Kronos.

I voiced my thoughts.

"Well... Uh... We have this thing... Uh... That's classified."

"Whatever... Can you pull it off?"

"I'll... have to ask my superiors first..."

"Can you do it right now?"

Asahina shook her head. "Contact with the future isn't supposed to be shown in front of people from your time! ...Uh... Sorry..."

She got all flustered, but, I digress, I didn't have time to admire it.

"Then go behind a wall and do it."

Asahina flinched and backed up. She looked at me with puppy dog eyes for a moment before nodding and running to the back of the Hospital.

I turned my head back towards the battle...

"Nagato, did you hear that?"

"Yes."

"Can you protect us from it?"

"...Yes."

Nagato then chanted something or other and I saw a few tiny computer interfaces surround me. Same thing applied for Koizumi and Takeshi.

Meanwhile, Koizumi had engaged in close combat as he was rushing towards Devil and quickly delivered a punch across his cheek. Unfortunately, the whatever-he-was managed to block it with his forearm.

I think he was about to deliver some kind of counter but an explosion quickly occurred between the two, probably courtesy of Yuki Nagato.

Koizumi quickly backed up and began forming another red ball in his hand.

I turned my attention to Takeshi, who had a slight purple aura forming between him.

Better not bother him.

I looked back towards the battle.

Devil was starting to form interfaces around himself but they kept turning red and going out in little static _bzzts. _

I'm gonna take a lucky guess and say Nagato was disrupting him somehow.

I turned towards Nagato. She was saying a bunch of things but I only picked up "Firewalls", "Deactivated", and "Initiate" so I didn't really get what she was doing.

At that moment, everything around us seemed to slow down, even Devil. I decided to take my shot and held the pistol-thing up.

"Wait." Nagato said.

A few computer interfaces formed around the gun.

"Go."

I complied and fired right at Devil, the shots zoomed towards him and hit. Didn't stand a chance.

The interfaces went away but I'm pretty sure Nagato is going to bring them back up next time.

Pretty sure.

A bit of electricity formed around Devil but he quickly recovered... Sadly.

Koizumi then threw his freshly-made tomato bomb which caught the, let's call him "lightning rod", and it blew up right in his face. A quick wind-razer-thingamabob shot out and I saw Koizumi grab his arm.

He then rushed towards Koizumi and threw his fist right into Koizumi's cheek.

Gotta say, I envy him. I've been wanting to punch Koizumi for months now.

Koizumi fell to the ground but soon managed to stand himself back up.

Any second now... there we go. Time slowed again and Koizumi quickly ran to get a vantage point.

I aimed the pistol, again, and waited for a second.

3.

2.

1.

Little interfaces formed around it and I fired.

Time returned to normal and Koizumi punched Devil from behind.

Poor bastard fell right onto the ground.

I was beginning to wonder what Nagato was doing in all this.

I looked over at her and noticed a couple more interfaces for around her. I looked back at Devil and saw that he was still trying to create, them, despite all effort.

Koizumi was beginning to form another red ball of death but Devil pointed at the ground and it quickly exploded under him like he was standing over a land mine.

Koizumi fell back and he didn't look like he was willing to get up.

Time began to slow down one last time... But this time, Devil had managed to put up interfaces.

He began charging towards me as my gun got ready. I didn't really have the time to fire it as I saw Devil's fist on a direct course to my face.

I closed my eyes and braced for impact but all I heard was a grunt.

I opened my eyes again and saw that Koizumi had grabbed Devil's arm and was pulling him back.

"Kyon!"

I got the message and quickly began to aim.

Devil had managed to throw Koizumi over his head and slam him into the ground... Unfortunately, his effort was in vain as I fired.

Devil fell back making out grunting sounds. "You... you... You'll pay..."

Time returned to normal... I think... It was kind of hard to tell when he can move around freely, actually.

Anyways, I think time was normal again and looked at Takeshi.

Takeshi had a large purple aura surrounding him, his face looked strained but he opened his eyes. The usual green color had changed to a deep purple and he quickly ran towards Devil.

He grabbed Devil by the arm and the purple flame around him grew ever-mightier as it engulfed both him and Devil.

"You know... Kyon... I always wanted to be in the SOS Brigade... I saw you guys always having fun... And I gotta admit, I was a little jealous."

What is he talking about?

"It's just... Before I became a Slider, I never really had any friends. I was a loner. Then, I got these abilities and I was transferred to North High. You see... I actually met friends there... I got to live a good life. Then I saw the SOS Brigade form... And I envied that fact that Koizumi joined instead of me. But... Just last week, you approached me and asked me to join... I never had anyone do that before..."

Get to the point...

"I was finally apart of something... And I'm thankful for that. Suzumiya brought me from an anti-social life and made me a Slider... Because of that, I was allowed to make Friends... I was able to meet you guys. I know it sounds dumb... But it means a lot to me! That's why... That's why I'll gladly risk my life to help you guys."

Takeshi smiled but he quickly screamed out in pain... I could already tell that this might not work.

"Wh-wha..."

Wait... That voice... No.

"What's going on?"

...No no no!

I turned towards the Hospital and you know who I saw at the Entrance?

Haruhi Suzumiya.

She was seeing everything... Which is bad... Think Kyon, think!

I quickly ran over to her and she looked at me.

"Kyon? What's going on?"

I tried to find some sort of explanation but I couldn't think of anything.

"And don't try giving me some fake crap or I'll give you the death penalty!"

I assume death penalty meant dressing as a cat or something... Which is preferable to this, admitably.

"You... You can't..."

"What is it, huh? Are you hiding something from me?!"

I kept trying to figure something out. I looked over my shoulder and could see Koizumi looked a bit freaked out.

Asahina had poked her head around the corner to see what was going on but she squealed upon seeing Haruhi and went back behind the hospital.

Can't blame her.

Haruhi looked extremely pissed. She looked around the entire area and then her eyes fell upon Takeshi and her facial expression softened.

"Takeshi... He doesn't look good..."

I need to think of something... I need to think of something real quickly...

"Kyon, come on... We need to-"

"My name isn't Kyon!"

...What am I doing?

"What? If you want me to call you by your real name, that's fine! Just listen to me, alright?!"

"Haruhi! Remember what happened at East Junior High 3 years ago?!"

Haruhi looked over her shoulder, a very confused look on her face.

"What are you talking about?!"

"You went out into the field and wrote a bunch of strange symbols on the ground!"

"So what? Everyone knows about that!"

"You weren't alone! There was someone else there with you!"

"Wait... How do you-"

I cut her off.

"Those symbols said 'I am right here', right?!"

"..."

For once in her life, Haruhi was speechless.

"Haruhi, my name isn't Kyon! My name is John Smith!"

I could feel the entire atmosphere grow cold as her face got a terrified look on it.

"But... You can't be... There's no way...!"

"Listen to me! I was there with you all those years ago! It may seem impossible, but it's true!"

"You can't be serious..."

"I am!"

I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I was just winging it. Hell, this might have very bad results in the future.

"Look at Takeshi!" I pointed towards him, he looked as though he was tired.

Devil was slowly starting to overpower him.

"He needs your help! So, help him!"

"But... I can't..."

"Yes you can!"

Nagato, Koizumi, and Asahina were all looking at me. They were probably wondering what the hell I was doing.

"You can help him! So just do it!"

Haruhi looked down at her hands, they began to tremble. I looked towards Takeshi as the purple flame started to grow into a giant blue flame.

Haruhi had looked over her shoulder.

"What the... What am I?"

"You're Haruhi!"

She looked back, her expression started to turn back to normal.

"Kyon! Stop being an idiot! I know that!"

"No you don't! You've been hiding yourself from your true potential for years! It's time you accepted it and faced the facts! You are Haruhi Suzumiya! And you rule this world!"

The blue flame burned brighter and the entire world around us started to collapse.

"But... I don't... Stop being crazy!"

"It's true! I'm telling you this because..."

"Because, what?"

...Good question... Because what? What was I supposed to do?

...I got it.

"Because, You matter to us!"

"What are you-"

"Shut up!"

"Don't you tell your Brigade leader to shut up!"

I ignored her.

"Remember, Haruhi... Remember all the times we've been through. How many times you were there to help us, just as we were there to help you."

I pointed back at Takeshi.

"Well, he needs your help now. So just give it to him!"

Haruhi looked speechless, I don't blame her.

The flame was brighter than ever, the whole world began to collapse... Just one last thing.

I put my arm around Haruhi... Ugh.

"This never happened."

Haruhi looked up at me, more confused than a redneck in New York City.

The entire world began to collapse.

…

I woke up to my alarm clock the next morning. I reflexively went to shut it off but I ended up just knocking it over.

"Ugh..." I groaned and rolled myself off the bed.

I turned off the Alarm Clock and quickly climbed back into bed.

A few minutes passed and my door swung open.

"KYON-KUN! WAKE UP!" My Sister hopped on my bed and started bouncing around... Then she dragged me off.

"Alright, alright... I'm up..."

I slowly picked myself off the ground and looked around.

Everything was back to normal.

…

I walked to School and started up small talk with Taniguchi and Kunikada.

We got to class and I saw Haruhi sitting in her desk, barely managing to stay awake.

I walked over to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Ugh... I feel like I haven't slept in days! And I had this really weird dream last night that I just can't remember..."

I patted Haruhi's back.

"You get some sleep, okay? I'll take notes for you."

"What? I can't trust a slacker like you to do that..."

She sounded too tired to argue.

"Just take my word on it."

"Oh... Alright..."

Haruhi fell asleep right there.

I spent the rest of the school day trying to duel-copy notes.

…

I made my way over the the SOS Brigade Room after School had ended. Haruhi told me to go ahead and said she'd be by later.

I subconsciously knocked on the door and heard a faint "Come in".

I opened the door and saw a guy with blonde hair sitting there... Takeshi?

He smiled at me.

"I thought you died."

"Ah... Well... Suzumiya's power was just enough to save me." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Just, I can't stay here for long. I need to keep the new dimension well-maintained. If I leave it alone for too long, Devil could break out."

"What are you gonna tell Haruhi?"

"Don't worry, I already have something figured out."

I wondered what that was. But Takeshi wasn't keen on talking.

As the other Brigade members came in, we all took turns playing Othello.

It was like any other day.

Haruhi eventually came in, looking really tired. Takeshi smiled and walked up to her.

"Hey, Suzumiya I'm afraid today is going to be my last day."

"Huh? Why is that, Takeshi?"

"You see... I'm gonna be moving to the United Kingdom. It seems as though my Father got a well-paying job over there."

"Oh... I see..." Haruhi rubbed her eyes for a moment before she turned towards us, suddenly full of energy.

"ALRIGHT YOU GUYS! WE'RE THROWING TAKESHI ONE BIG GOOD-BYE PARTY RIGHT NOW!"

And with that order, we managed to get a few supplies from the Cooking Club and a couple of music discs from the Computer Research Society.

Haruhi and Asahina started cooking everyone food, and Koizumi and I were selecting songs to play.

And, I'll admit, we had a pretty fun time.

…

The evening eventually hit and we started cleaning up.

"Do you really have to go, Takeshi?" Haruhi asked.

"I'm afraid so, Suzumiya."

"Well... I hope you had fun at today's party! As Brigade leader, it's my job to make sure that all my subordinates don't leave until they're happy to their fullest!"

"Well, I'm surprised that you went out of your way for me! Thank you!"

Actually, I'm more surprised that Haruhi didn't take over an actual Nightclub.

And with that in mind, we all said our goodbyes to Takeshi.

Then, Takeshi walked out... He looked like he was genuinely

happy.

Everyone was getting ready to leave, but I asked Koizumi to stay back for a bit.

"Hmm... It seems Suzumiya has completely forgotten what happened last night. Whether or not it was due to what you said or her subconscious just suppressed the memory... Well, that remains unclear. Anyways, What is it you wanted to talk about? Something on your mind?" He asked.

"I know that we saved the day and all that... But there is one thing that's still bothering me..."

"Oh? What's that?"

"When I was meeting Takeshi and the older Asahina, the door had unlocked automatically, but neither of them had the ability to do that. And again, when we were in the closed space, the Train had helped me get across town even though no one was using it... And the elevator only worked when we were going to Devil."

"Hmm... I can see why that would bother you..." Koizumi thought it over for a minute and then he smiled. "Maybe Suzumiya was subconsciously watching out for you this entire time."

Huh... I hadn't thought of that.

"So... You think she opened the door and activated the train and all that?"

"Oh, absolutely! I wouldn't doubt Suzumiya's abilities for a moment! I think she genuinely cares about you, Kyon."

Before I could say anything, Haruhi walked in through the door.

"...What are you guys still doing here?! I thought I said that we were going home!"

"If that's the case, then why are you here?"

Haruhi stopped talking for a moment.

"I just left something here is all! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO QUESTION THE BRIGADE LEADER'S DECISIONS! THAT'S A PENALTY!"

"Alright, that's fair." I said... For some reason, Haruhi's yelling had only made me a bit happier.

It was finally over. Devil was defeated and we could all return to our ordinary lives.

"So... What's my penalty?"

"I... You have to dress up as a Cat tomorrow! And you have to meow and eat your food out of a bowl and everything!"

I inevitably accepted Haruhi's penalties... Not like I had a choice anyways.

"And..."

"...And?"

"...You have to walk me and Koizumi home!"

So... There you have it. Everything was back to normal... Or... As normal as Haruhi gets, anyways.

I'm just the Great Wall of China, and Haruhi is the Hun that always managed to get over it.

And I gotta say, I can't think of any other way to live.

* * *

><p>The End.<p> 


End file.
